The Band That Wouldn't Die (13 Oct. 2009)

This episode tells the story of the overnight relocation of the Baltimore Colts to the city of Indianapolis. We explore the reactions of the fans, the various actions and interviews with ... See full summary »

Director:

Barry Levinson

Storyline

This episode tells the story of the overnight relocation of the Baltimore Colts to the city of Indianapolis. We explore the reactions of the fans, the various actions and interviews with the teams owner and finally how the band kept the spirit of a professional football team alive until the arrival of the Baltimore Ravens in 1996.

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Plot Keywords:

baltimore colts | football | baltimore ravens | marching band

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Genres:

Sport

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 October 2009 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Baltimore Films, Severn River Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

51 min

Color:

Color

User Reviews

While I felt terrible for the Baltimore fans and the band, this story just adds to my hatred of American pro sports.

I grew up in Maryland and was there when the wretched owner, Bob Irsay, moved the team to Indianapolis in the dead of night. I felt for the city and it seemed a shame for such a big town to go without a football team. This documentary by ESPN from their great "30 for 30" series documents not only this loss but some crazed Baltimore Colts band members who refused to disband the team! For well over a decade, they continued to practice, occasionally perform and rally for a team. I appreciated this and the documentary was well made and worth seeing.

This story is just one of several reasons why I hate pro sports here in America. I've lived in several cities held hostage by owners who DEMAND new stadiums of they'll leave--this happened when I lived in Cincinnati, Charlotte and now here in the Tampa Bay area. And so, when Baltimore then coaxed the Browns to abandon their fans to move in the 1990s, I finally realized sports were a complete waste of time for me. I no longer felt sorry for 'ol Baltimore--they were now a part of the problem. The governor pushed through a huge tax to buy new stadiums for BOTH baseball and football teams (even though many folks lived around DC and rooted for their teams--they, too, had to pay this tax). An interesting film, but exactly why I hate pro sports. And don't even get me started about what I think of the obnoxious 'bad boy' players, the high prices (families simply cannot afford to attend games any more unless they are rich) or strikes....

By the way, if you do watch, by far the most interesting aspect was listening to Bob Irsay's son discussing his father. It helped put things in perspective and I appreciated his candor.